Modern, conventional motor vehicle doors are substantially sheet metal boxes enclosed at least on the outside by a sheet metal outer skin and on the inside by at least one interior sheet metal section that is normally provided with a plurality of large surface openings as needed for the subsequent installation of various functional components of the door. The outer sheet metal cover skin may include a hinge sheet metal member that is secured to the door hinge section which in turn cooperates with a frame hinge section secured to the vehicle frame. The functional door components include, for example, a door lock, a window operating mechanism, and the like, including various auxiliary components, such as handles, pull rods, tilting levers, and the like.
The construction of a motor vehicle requires for economic reasons that the door, which has been equipped with the above mentioned components, is painted or lacquered together with the other vehicle body components. Where the interior components have not yet been installed prior to the paint or lacquering job, the door is removed after such job and its assembly is completed on a separate door assembly line. Especially, the latter approach is involved and hence expensive. Thus, there is room for improvement.